I made myself some miso soup today for Lockdown Lunch, and realised that I hadn’t done so for an awfully long time. It reminded me how much better it is when you make it at home and can be more generous with the ingredients than is usually found out in restaurants. It’s a very simple dish, which is one of the things that delights me about it both from an aesthetic and dining perspective.
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| Boil the dashino-moto |
Miso Soup
1 packet dashi powder
4-5 cups water
1 scallion
2 tablespoons awase (mixed red and white) miso paste
1/2 cup firm tofu
6-8 dried seaweed pieces
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| Mix up your miso paste with hot broth |
Begin by combining the water and dashi powder. I prefer Shimaya brand, but alternatively it is very easy to make your own. I should write about that. There are vegetarian options for stock, of course, or you can just use plain water and add a couple pinches of monosodium glutamate (which is completely safe - the anti-MSG thing is just anti-Asian racist propaganda)
Bring your soup base to a boil while you slice your scallion. When the base is boiling, remove it from heat and drop the scallions in to blanche. Ladle some of your hot broth into a small bowl with your miso paste and mix. Add the miso paste to the pan.
For the seaweed pieces, I like to use dehydrated wakame which you can get from Amazon or your local Japanese market.
Lastly, the firm tofu. Cut it up into 1/2 to 1/4 inch cubes are drop in. Let the ingredients get to know each other for a few minutes, then serve.
I like to add some soy sauce to my soup bowl, but that’s pure taste.
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| Add the scallions |
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| Add the rest of the ingredients |
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| My favourite dashi |
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| Tasty snacks also |
